Her father narrowed his gaze. “That’s fine. Maya can move in here under my protection.”
“Your protection?” Matthieu snarled. “You forced her to have dinner with the guy that assaulted her, then accused her of making stuff up when she refused to be alone with him. That won’t be happening. I didn’t say we were withdrawing our protection from Maya. Just that we no longer work for you. Although you can expect a final bill in the mail.”
Her father’s mouth opened, then closed. Even Kathryn appeared shocked.
“Come on, Maya. Let’s go.”
She nodded at Matthieu, but turned to her father one last time. “Vince isn’t a good person. I’m not sure if you can’t see that or if you just don’t want to see it. But it doesn’t make it any less true. I never imagined that he would try to harm me like this . . . but perhaps I was just being naive. It would have been nice, if just once, you could have believed me. I guess you still think of me as that teenage kid who was unhappy at the world because her mom died. I know that I kept a distance between us, but that was just because I couldn’t stand being hurt anymore by you. And I’ve had enough. I’m done, Dad. I’m just done.”
“Done? You can’t be done! Done with what?” he demanded.
“Done with you. I’m going now. Bye, Dad.”
“Maya! Maya, get back here right now,” her father demanded as she turned and walked out the door. Matthieu was close on her heels and Tank and Big B were so close they nearly tripped her up.
“Maya, this is just like you. So dramatic and rude. Come back and speak to your father,” Kathryn demanded.
Not happening.
She no longer wanted to be in that house. There were still good memories, but she could take them with her.
She heard her brother speaking, but couldn’t make out what he was saying as she stepped out into the driveway.
Strangely, she felt this weight lifting off her shoulders and chest. She stood straighter as she left.
“You all right, Bébé?” Matthieu asked cautiously as he escorted her out to her car. They still had to get his car from her place.
“I am, actually. That felt cathartic. You know? Like I can breathe better.”
He shot her a sideways look, then nodded. “Good. I was worried it might upset you.”
“In the past it would have. But this time was different. I had you there. And Tank and Big B. I wasn’t alone. I even had my brother and Reeves. I had people on my side, who believed in me.”
“I’ll always believe in you, Maya.”
“Thanks,” she croaked.
God, those words meant more to her than he could possibly know. And she didn’t know how to tell him that.
She shouldn’t tell him that.
“Let’s go, though, please? I really need to lie down.”
She could feel the exhaustion tugging at her, wanting to slide over her like a thick, dark blanket.
Maya didn’t think she could take anything more tonight. In fact, she wished she could just shut off her brain and sleep.
Lord, she hoped she could sleep.
39
It wasn’t until they got back to the saferoom and she was staring down at the only bed in the room that she realized something.
“Oh my God!” she cried.
“What is it?” Matthieu asked. He was getting a bed for Tank and Big B sorted. Her other babies were all fast asleep. Dougie was snoring away and Gummy was kicking her legs in her sleep like she was dreaming that she was running or a kung-fu fighter.
“I can’t sleep here.”
